Month: July 2021

My Body My Choice

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Vain Jangling
It is my body, my choice.

Most gladly, even eagerly, claim ownership of their body. We eat what we want, we drink what we want, we wear what we want. We pierce and color, cut and conform ourselves how we see fit. In many ways, for countless reasons, we assume the role of potter over our own clay.

Few consider the concept of a Creator. One who has formed mankind from the womb [Jeremiah 1:5], in his image [Genesis 1:27]. Nor do many Christians live submitted to the fact that they have been bought with great price, and therefore should glorify God in body and spirit, which are his [1 Corinthians 6:20].

The vain jangling of “My body, my choice,” stands against the humility found in “God’s body, God’s choice,” through our obedience to him. It denies the person within our body, who is there—most often—by our choice. It fails to reconcile the consequences for our actions and hold us personally responsible. It sets us up as an idol god, which everyone and everything must please, for the sake of our own happiness.

We are Called to Love

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Vain Jangling
We are called to love.

At face value, this is a worthy sentiment. We should genuinely love people; for we are all made in the image of God. [Genesis 1:27]

We have the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” More specifically, we are told (via Scripture) to “love thy neighbour” [Matthew 5:44] and even to “love thy enemy” [Matthew 22:39]. In fact, one is not merely to love in thought or word, but in deed, such as blessing, doing good, and praying for others.

The vain jangling seems to appear when it is expressed that loving someone is somehow synonymous with not judging, disapproving, or correcting a person. That love is not only supposed to acknowledge a person for who they are or claim to be, but must also accept and even approve of their thoughts, words, and deeds—even if they are contrary to scripture, science, or logic.

Scripture declares God’s love for man in confronting the sin of man, to draw man to repentance, faith, and a restoration of fellowship. This is clearly shown from Adam and Eve through all of scripture. We learn that God chastens—those in disobedience—because of his love for us. [Hebrews 12:3-17; Revelation 3:19]

In the Word of God, one finds that we are to love fellow believers—if they are found in a fault, in a sin—by seeking to encourage them to repent and return to obedience to God. [Matthew 18:15] We are to love our neighbors, even our enemies—to warn them of sin and the wrath to come—by compelling them turn from their wicked ways, to repent and put faith in Jesus Christ. [Ezekiel 33:8-9; Matthew 28:19-20; John 3:16]

It has been said, “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” However, to truly love the sinner—or anyone, and everyone, for we are all sinners—must include encouraging them to reject, repent, turn away from sin, and to live by (godly, moral) truth and to live in (biblical, spiritual) Truth (i.e. Christ). Today, tomorrow, and all eternity.

We are not called to accept, encourage, support sinful, unbiblical, immoral, irrational, illogical, or otherwise untrue, harmful thoughts, words, deeds, ideology of persons to show we care about them. That is not love. That is vain jangling that will have eternal consequences; whereby, we and they will wish we truly had loved them.